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Monday, April 03, 2006

The Burkeian Conspiracy

With the Vancouver Canucks laying an egg on the duck pond ice of Anaheim Sunday afternoon, a few of Vancouvers more conspiracy oriented fans are flogging a theory to rival anything that Oliver Stone could come up with.

Vancouver surrendered their one goal lead and then watched the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim skate rings around them and put five unanswered goals behind them on the way to an embarrassing 6-2 defeat. It was a loss that had some Vancouver fans contemplating the unthinkable; A Canuck team that pulls the chute to embarrass their current masters.

Facing their much beloved ex GM Brian Burkes squad the theory goes that the Canucks chose to allow the Ducks to lay waste to their game plan and trounce them decidedly.

The opinion first observed on one of Vancouver’s many sports oriented talk shows Sunday night, gained some traction Monday morning as the morning crew at Mojo picked up on the theme of self immolation.

It seems to be even more wild an accusation than normal by the always fanciful Canuck fans, who aren’t shy in jumping on and off bandwagons as they prepare to depart. But to think that this Canuck team is that organized in the dressing room to actually put together a plan such as this is asking a bit much. From all accounts of late, this is not the closest knit group of players to ever pull on a collective jersey, so to think they all would find the time to work out a combined effort to discredit their current management seems a bit far fetched.

The collapse in Anaheim is not something that had not been seen in March, so why would April be any different. They have had a terrible problem with consistency since January, Sunday was just more of the same. They climb out of a playoff hole and then problem go and dig themselves another one a few days later, the real test of their resolve will come tonight in yet another must game against a divisional rival. This time the LA Kings, who up until yesterday were considered out of the race, now with a win on their side and a loss on the Canucks’ register, the Kings once again have a purpose.

Should they topple the flustered Canucks tonight, Vancouver will once again be flirting with playoff elimination. More food for the conspiracy nation that seems to be looking for signs of the end in Canuckland.